Little people

[mickeymombecky]

Hey! My family recently welcomed a new 7yr old son who has dysplasia(form of dwarfism). Is there any a time that the height restrictions for the "lap belt" rides have exceptions with age? Like can he go on splash mt when he's 10 or older even if he hasn't reached 40" or 44" for other rides? Thanks!

 

[lanejudy]

Welcome to disAbilities! Fantastic that you have welcomed a new family member.

Unfortunately, I believe the height requirements are safety regulations rather than age-related. Similar to seatbelts in a car which are designed to fit a person 4'9" or taller, the ride restraints are designed to fit someone of at least a certain height.

You don't mention how tall your new son is at this time, but you can find the height restrictions in SueM's FAQ sticky at the top of the forum. They range from 35" to 52" - then you can plan which rides he will be allowed to do.

If you have further questions, feel free to ask.

 

[mickeymombecky]

Hey! My son is 36" now at 7 so though I can't wait to bring him to WDW in 8 days!!! I am not looking forward to telling him no to most rides. Kinda was hoping in his teen yrs if he isn't too much taller he could still ride. Thanks for the reply! Disney is still awesome so I know he'll enjoy it!

 

[LockShockBarrel]

Just chiming in that you'll be able to find what the height requirement is on most rides and that they will not waver on those requirements. It's not an issue of age, it's how the ride is designed and what a passenger needs to meet to ride it safely. A 40 year old 38 inch person would fall into the same category as a 4 year old 38 inch person, neither would be allowed to ride something that required 40 inches.

 

[kaytieeldr]

The good news is, most attractions don't have height restrictions.

Again, those that do are in the FAQ sticky.

 

[bidnow5]

They don't make exceptions I witnessed it once at Rock 'n' Roller Coaster there was a young man that kept telling them he was 22 years old and saying he was more then capable of going on the ride but they said no he wasn't tall enough

 

[Bete]

Hey! My son is 36" now at 7 so though I can't wait to bring him to WDW in 8 days!!! I am not looking forward to telling him no to most rides. Kinda was hoping in his teen yrs if he isn't too much taller he could still ride. Thanks for the reply! Disney is still awesome so I know he'll enjoy it!

First, is there more growth in height that can happen for your new son or have you've been told this is it, more or less? If there's hope for a little more height he may be able to do more later in years at Disney. There's plenty to do at Disney World without ever going on a thrill ride.

I'm not sure about the ages of the others in your family, but you can easily avoid the areas of the so called thrill rides; so, your new son doesn't even have to see most of those areas. Avoidance may be good tactic for a while. Hopefully, it's not really an issue for the moment; so, enjoy this trip before the realities have to set in.

You may have to have a heart to heart eventually about the realities of his situation at Disney World and the rules there of, but for now you get to enjoy your time at Disney World without much issue at 7 years old with him. You may have to break up in smaller groups; so, those who can do the thrill rides in your family will without your new son having it in his face. Then, you can enjoy other attractions with him while the rest get their share of the thrill rides.

If it's too hard you may have to find new adventures for vacation where your new son won't have those same challenges.

Over the last 5 years we had to change our way of doing Disney and we concentrated on more shows, live entertainment, parades and fireworks. We enjoyed our time there without the thrill rides. Disney is still very magical without the thrill rides.

You have great courage; bless you.

 

[LilyWDW]

The issue is not age or maturity, but the fact that the restraint systems in place will not work correctly on those not of the required height. It is 100% a pure safety issue on the vast majority of height restricted attractions. If the safety system does not work correctly, then you run into the risk of injury or death.

 

[mickeymombecky]

This isn't our first time going to Disney, just our new guy's first. Thanks for the suggestions! I realize there is a bunch of stuff to do and I'm really thankful my son just goes with the flow and doesn't meltdown when he can't do something his siblings can but I guess as a mama, just wish there were some ways he could enjoy all the great rides

 

[MSSANDRA]

Congratulations on your new son!!! Maybe get him a first visit pin and enjoy your trip!

 

[Deesknee]

I'd like to echo Congratulations on your families addition!

I have no wisdom dealing with the issues you are faced with. BUT, my dd(9) has no desire to do thrill rides. Pirates of the Caribbean, which I think your son will be tall enough for, was about as much of a thrill ride as she can handle. Just the little tiny drop is more than she likes. Maybe your son will be the same. My dd LOVES disney.

Pixie Dust for a magical trip. Remember to mention that it is your son's first trip, maybe he will get extra pixie dust!

 

[buffettgirl]

I'd like to echo Congratulations on your families addition!

I have no wisdom dealing with the issues you are faced with. BUT, my dd(9) has no desire to do thrill rides. Pirates of the Caribbean, which I think your son will be tall enough for, was about as much of a thrill ride as she can handle. Just the little tiny drop is more than she likes. Maybe your son will be the same. My dd LOVES disney.

Pixie Dust for a magical trip. Remember to mention that it is your son's first trip, maybe he will get extra pixie dust!

I was going to say the same. While I have no experience with your specific situation, my child at age 7 would never have done any of the thrill rides. So, hopefully yours will be the same. And you'll have many years before wants to, and by then, will understand a bit better why can't physically can't, for safety.